Congressional hearings tend to be orchestrated blends of theater and policy: heavy on anecdote, light on insight, rife with both the posturing of politicians and the faux contrition of well-rehearsed witnesses caught in a televised bull's-eye.

There was some of that, but luckily a bit more, when Senator Richard J. Durbin served as both host and de facto prosecutor on Tuesday at a Chicago forum on our for-profit colleges.

By Matthew Schnittman, TopSchool

In Senator Harkin's opening remarks during the recent congressional hearings on higher education, he stated, "We have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely, and that for-profit colleges are serving students, not just shareholders." As the CEO of TopSchool and previously serving as the president of eCollege, I understand the need to serve shareholders. However, I couldn't agree more that the ultimate goal of those of us in education is to serve the student.

For-profit colleges have a huge opportunity to move education forward, and at a great value to taxpayers. They have already made great strides in driving access, innovation and a trained workforce.

Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition and fee caps for the 2010-2011 have been released by the Veterans Affairs Department, providing key numbers that will allow the processing of payments to colleges and universities for students enrolled in the fall term.

The caps, based on information provided by state approving agency information about the highest rates for in-state tuition charged by public institutions in the state, set the maximum payment levels for students using the year-old education benefits program.

While the trend generally is upwards in terms of college costs, there are some extreme increases and decreases in the cost-per-credit hour and maximum fees.